Spring 2001
Table of Contents:
In This Issue
News Around the Getty
EXHIBITIONS AT THE GETTY CENTER
All exhibitions located in the J. Paul Getty Museum unless otherwise indicated.
New Exhibitions Opening Spring 2001
August
Sander: German Portraits, 1918-1933
March 6-June 24, 2001
During the tumultuous post-World War I period of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933),
many German artists were inspired by a new political freedom. Berlin became
an international artistic center, and the country produced such cultural
icons as the Bauhaus school, Joseph von Sternberg's film Blue Angel,
Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera, Thomas Mann's novel The Magic
Mountain, and a new realism in painting that reflected observations
about contemporary government and society. In photography, the Cologne
portraitist August Sander expanded upon his pre-war idea of systematically
portraying all strata of German society. He had begun with the peasant
farmers of his native Westerwald region, and then added portraits of tradesmen,
professionals, industrialists, secretaries, artists, the unemployed, the
disabled, and others. This exhibition not only surveys Sander's relentless
portraiture of the 1920s and early 1930s, but it reveals the face of Germany
immediately before Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Press Release
To Create a Living Art: Nineteenth-Century Drawings
May 1-July 15, 2001
The multifaceted art of drawing in the 19th century informs the conception
of drawing in our own time. This exhibition of approximately 30 drawings
highlights the Getty's numerous recent acquisitions of 19th-century drawings.
Featured works include Pierre Bonnard's design for the poster Moulin
Rouge, Gustave Courbet's Sleeping Bacchante, and Georges Seurat's
Woman Strolling.
A Royal Menagerie: Porcelain Animals from Dresden
Opening May 1, 2001
As part of an ongoing and mutually beneficial partnership between the
Getty and the State Art Collections of Dresden, Germany, the Dresden Porcelain
Collection is lending fourteen large Meissen porcelain animals that were
executed between 1730 and 1735 for Frederick-Augustus I, Elector of Saxony,
known as "Augustus the Strong" (1679-1733). The commission for these large
porcelain sculptures was highly important for the young Meissen porcelain
manufactory. The size of the figures presented great difficulties in making
and firing the porcelain, and their mere completion in most cases was
extraordinary. These were the creations of two men with remarkably distinct
artistic personalities, the court sculptor Johann Gottlieb Kirchner and
Johann Joachim Kaendler. Rarely has such a large group of these figures
been loaned outside Germany.
Also on loan are three paintings from Dresden's New Master's Gallery (Gemäldegalerie
Neue Meister) by German Romantic artists Ernst Ferdinand Oehme, Carl Gustav
Caru and Caspar David Friedrich. These haunting landscapes join the Getty's
own painting by Friedrich, A Walk at Dusk, and enrich the Museum's
representation of the German Romantic spirit. The Friedrich is on view
through May 13, 2001; the Oehme and Carus through January 2002.
Illuminating Color
May 22-August 26, 2001
Color, one of the most basic ways to experience the world visually, has
always been an essential tool of artistic communication. In manuscript
illumination, color is used for its symbolic associations, for organizing
compositions, for telling stories clearly, and for sheer brilliance of
effect. Over time, shades of color were also used in radically different
ways to model the human figure and to construct landscape. Drawing on
highlights from the permanent collection, this exhibition examines these
diverse functions of color as employed by medieval and Renaissance manuscript
illuminators. The exhibition includes illuminated manuscripts from throughout
Western Europe and the Mediterranean basin dating from the 12th to the
16th century. Press Release
Continuing Exhibitions and Installations at
the Getty Center
Mexico: From Empire to Revolution
Part II: February 24 through May 20, 2001
This two-part exhibition of photographs taken between the 1850s and 1920s
captures the political struggles and everyday life of Mexico. Part II
begins in the 1870s and traces the emergence of Mexico as a modern nation
over the next 50 years, concluding with the extraordinary upheaval caused
by the 1910 revolution that submerged the country in civil war for more
than 10 years. Research Institute Exhibition Gallery. Press Release
Voyages and Visions: Early Photographs from the Wilson Family Collection
October 24, 2000-February 18, 2001
Drawn from the Wilson Family Collection, Voyages and Visions features
photographs dating from the emergence of this new medium in 1839 through
the golden age of the 1850s--a particularly innovative period in the early
history of photography. As methods were refined and materials improved,
photographers ventured further afield in their attempt to document the
world. The voyages and visions explored here cover most of the world's
continents through diverse photographs by masters including William Henry
Fox Talbot, Roger Fenton, Dr. John Murray, Édouard Baldus, and Ernest
Benecke. Amassed over the past 20 years by Michael and Jane Wilson, astute
collectors of the medium, the Wilson Family Collection is based in Los
Angeles and London. Many of the works in this exhibition are on view for
the first time. Press Release
Statue of an Emperor: A Conservation Partnership
Ongoing
This exhibition features the conservation of a statue of the Roman emperor
Marcus Aurelius, who ruled the Roman Empire from A.D. 161 to 180. The
statue belongs to the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, and the conservation
was a collaboration between the Pergamon and the Getty Museum. Composed
of approximately 40 fragments of four different types of marble, some
original, others carved during different restoration campaigns of the
18th and 19th centuries, the statue was in danger of collapsing because
the joints between the fragments had loosened over time. The conservators
took the statue completely apart and reassembled it. Video segments show
this process as it took place in the conservation laboratories of the
Getty Museum. The exhibition highlights changes in restoration and conservation
practices that have occurred between the 18th and 21st centuries. Press Release
Making a Renaissance Painting
December 5, 2000-August 19, 2001
Renaissance painters practiced their art according to specialized training
and local traditions. This exhibition focuses on the methods and materials
employed by the prominent Netherlandish artist Joachim Beuckelaer for
his splendid Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1563). Every step in
the painting of this large panel painting, produced in Antwerp, is explored.
The installation shows how wooden panels were selected and prepared, and
how a variety of pigments were made ready for painting in the workshop
of the master painter. Additionally, the scientific methods used to study
the painting, such as x-radiography, infra-red reflectography, and cross-sections
are explained, revealing the complex processes of Beuckelaer's painting.
Press Release
Drawing the Landscape: 1500-1800
January 23-April 15, 2001
This exhibition explores artists' depiction of the landscape--whether
real or imaginary, sublime or picturesque--in drawings spanning from the
Renaissance to the Romantic era. Highlights include Titian's delicately
rendered Pastoral Scene and Rembrandt's Landscape with the House
with the Little Tower. Press Release
Special Exhibition
Shaping the Great City: Modern Architecture in Central Europe, 1890-1937
February 20-May 6, 2001
This landmark touring exhibition, seen here in its only U.S. venue, uses
architectural drawings, photographs, models, books, and archival film
clips to explore the origins and development of modern architecture in
Central Europe before and after the First World War, a time of dramatic
social and political change. The three main themes are: the debate about
new aesthetics and the dissemination of new architectural languages; the
structure and symbols of the modern city; and the relationship of architecture
to the pre- and post-World War I social and political order. This exhibition
is organized by the Getty Research Institute; the Canadian Centre for
Architecture, Montreal; and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education,
Science and Culture; in association with Kunstforum Wien. Press Release
Ritual Splendor: Illuminated Liturgical Manuscripts
February 20-May 6, 2001
The books consulted by bishops, priests, monks, and nuns in religious
services are among the most splendidly illuminated manuscripts of the
Middle Ages and Renaissance. This exhibition of 17 manuscripts dating
from the 10th to the 16th century, all from the Museum's permanent collection,
highlights the illumination of liturgical books. It introduces the different
types of books and their characteristic illumination. One manuscript,
for example, shows the Resurrection within the opening letter R of the
chants for Easter Sunday. The exhibition also includes representations
of the liturgy and explores the way the liturgical celebration of events
from Christ's life and the commemoration of the saints marked the passing
of the seasons for medieval Christians. Press Release
Ancient Art from the Permanent Collection
Ongoing
Featuring works dating from 2500 B.C. to the 6th century A.D., this installation
highlights Greek and Roman antiquities from the Museum's collection. Included
are a 5th-century B.C. limestone-and-marble statue of a goddess believed
to be Aphrodite; a rare, early Cycladic harpist dating to 2500 B.C; and
the Lansdowne Herakles, which was one of J. Paul Getty's favorite works.
The exhibition also features numerous works from the Fleischman collection
acquired by the Museum in 1996, including a magnificent bronze cauldron
with a grinning satyr and a spectacular ensemble of jewelry worn by a
Greek woman more than 2,000 years ago.
Future Exhibitions through December 2001
Special Exhibition
Walker Evans and Company
July 10-September 16, 2001
Drawn from the collection of and organized by the Museum of Modern Art,
New York, Walker Evans and Company asks the question: Where can
the influence of Evans or parallels to his work be seen in photographs,
paintings, sculpture, and graphic arts produced in the past eighty years?
Considering Evans' favorite subjects--the old versus the new, social types,
what people call home, pictures of pictures, the movies, facades of buildings,
and the image of people alone--this exhibition presents a sense of how
Evans wove pieces of European modernism and second-hand-shop Americana
into a unique visual tapestry. Evans was among the first photographers
to break completely with the idea that a good photograph should look like
a painting, but the keen eye he brought to all his subject matter left
a lasting impression on many artists.
The American Tradition & Walker Evans: Photographs from the Getty Collection
July 10-October 28, 2001
Walker Evans redrew the map of American visual culture in the 1930s by
photographing what he believed to be the most common aspects of the American
scene. His subjects were small-town main streets, homes of average Americans,
typical modes of transportation, everyday styles of dress, and the environmental
residue of a consumer-driven society. Yet he was not the first photographer
in quest of the American spirit. Evans walked in the footsteps of pioneers
of photography already active for more than 50 years who were also focused
on typically American subjects. In addition to 35 Evans photographs, this
exhibition includes approximately 75 works by other photographers of the
American scene. They range from regional photographers such as the Langenheim
brothers of Philadelphia, Carlton Watkins of San Francisco, and Adam Clark
Vroman of Pasadena to classic photographers of the first half of the 20th
century including Alfred Stieglitz, Lewis Hine, Paul Strand, and Doris
Ulmann. Like Evans, these artists explored the quintessence of this country
from their own unique perspectives.
Work and Play: Everyday Life in Drawings, 1520-1820
July 31-October 14, 2001
From the Renaissance onward, artists were encouraged not only to depict
the supernatural realms of the Bible and classical mythology, but also
to use everyday life as a source of inspiration. This yielded a vast new
fund of subjects, drawn primarily from the major forces governing the
rhythm of human existence: work and leisure. This exhibition explores
these themes in drawings from the Renaissance through the early 19th century,
showing how artists cast an ever more intense look at the vibrancy of
the surrounding world.
The Armenian Gospels of Gladzor
September 11-December 2, 2001
This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see more than 60 pages of
the Gladzor Gospels, one of the masterpieces of Armenian illumination
of the 14th century. It also introduces the manuscript's illuminators,
and its place within Western European, Byzantine, and Islamic artistic
traditions. The exhibition focuses on the particularly Armenian view of
Christ's life expressed in the manuscript's miniatures. The manuscript
is on loan from the Department of Special Collections, Young Research
Library, UCLA, especially for the installation, which celebrates the 1700th
anniversary of the Christianization of Armenia.
Posing for Posterity: Portrait Drawings from the Collection (working title)
October 30, 2001-January 20, 2002
This exhibition showcases the breadth of the Museum's drawings collection
with 30 portraits spanning the Renaissance through the 19th century throughout
Europe. The installation includes preparatory drawings for large-scale
portraits, like Ingres' Study for Madame Moitessier, and features
finished portrait drawings meant as independent works of art. Valued since
the 16th century for their intimacy and portability, these portraits demonstrate
the continuous challenge of and fascination with the presentation of the
self, for both artist and subject.
Special Exhibition
Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen
November 13, 2001-February 3, 2002
Devices of Wonder explores the fascinating world of visual illusion,
with the Getty Research Institute's collection of 18th- to 20th-century
optical games, toys, prints, and ephemera forming the core of the exhibition.
Additional materials include scientific instruments, rare natural history
books, trompe l'oeil paintings, trick furniture, a Wunderschrank
(cabinet of wonders), and Lucas Samaras' Mirrored Room. Imaginative,
interactive installations reveal engaging and compelling apparatus that
produce visual information on the stage, at the studio or laboratory,
and in the home. Magic lanterns, miniature peepshows, panoramas, moving
dioramas, stereoscopes, Jeff Wall's cibachrome light boxes, and computers
display how the "natural" eye has been transformed through sensory technology
throughout time. The exhibition reveals how these optical devices brought
about new forms of consciousness at different historical moments.
Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Optical Parables
November 13, 2001-February 17, 2002
Long hailed as one of the great masters of 20th-century photography, Mexican
photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo (b. 1902) blends an acute social consciousness
with a poetic and often enigmatically modern sensibility. His work came
into its own during the 1930s, following the social and political turmoil
of Mexico's 10-year Revolution. It contains both Surrealist undertones
and a magical documentary reality. In the eight decades since the end
of the Revolution, Álvarez Bravo has continued to make photographs that
lend artistic and social insight to the complexities of modern Mexican
culture. Selected from the Museum's own holdings of rare photographs and
from the collection of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser, this exhibition
traces Álvarez Bravo's evolution as an artist, from his early Pictorialist-inspired
beginnings to his refined formalist style, and on to his later, emotion-driven
imagery. This exhibition coincides with Álvarez Bravo's 100th birthday
on February 4, 2002.
Medieval Readers and Their Books (Working Title)
December 18, 2001-March 10, 2002
In the Middle Ages, as now, reading opened windows onto worlds of information,
entertainment, and inspiration. The concept of books, the texts that were
read, and the conditions for reading them, however, were vastly different.
To highlight these points, this exhibition turns to 18 Western European
manuscripts from the Museum's permanent collection that date from the
11th to the 16th century. It explores the importance of the written word
in medieval society, learning and literacy, and the practice of reading
aloud before religious communities and princely courts. In addition to
examining both the symbolism of books and the practice of reading in the
Middle Ages, this exhibition charts the major technological changes that
have influenced the way the written word has been communicated over time.
Rome on the Grand Tour (Working Title)
January 8, 2002-June 31, 2002
In the 18th century the Grand Tour--a journey across Northern Europe to
Italy and the center of the classical past--formed an important way for
eminent, young British travelers to acquire a canon of taste, noble ideas,
and moral virtue. Featuring new acquisitions by the Getty Museum and Research
Institute, Rome on the Grand Tour presents the Eternal City as
a preeminent destination for the British aristocrat. Gathering together
paintings, pastels, drawings, sculpture, artists' sketchbooks, antiquities,
books, and prints, this exhibition captures the diversity of the Grand
Tour experience and portrays the preparation, engagement, and memory intrinsic
to the journey. The installation presents both the high art and cultural
memorabilia generated by the Tour, including the printed materials that
promoted and guided the journey, portraits, and souvenir city views and
sculptural reproductions. It also features objects reflecting the serious
study of the antique, which ultimately transcended the age of the Grand
Tour and gave birth to Neoclassicism.
Railroads in Photography
March 5, 2002-June 23, 2002
By the 1830s, a revolutionary mode of transportation--the railroad--was
spreading throughout Britain, Europe, and North America; and photography
was revealed as a revolutionary way to make pictures. Through the talents
and desires of key individuals, photography and the railroads together
embarked on a journey that would span the world-s continents. From the
beginning, the art and industry seemed bound together, and into the 20th
century railroads remained a popular subject for photographers. From Édouard
Baldus' images of the new French lines in the 1850s to O. Winston Link's
nighttime views of the last steam-powered trains in 1950s America, the
exhibition will explore the relationship of photography and railroads
through a diverse and engaging selection of photographs.
Violence in the Medieval World
March 26-July 7, 2002
Violence seemed to surround those living in the Middle Ages on all sidesÐfrom
land-ravaging wars and fierce tournaments designed for spectators to graphic
depictions of the tortures endured by Christ. In the Middle Ages, violence
was viewed as an integral, indeed necessary, aspect of life. Violence
in the Medieval World features 20 European manuscripts and leaves
dating from the 13th to the 16th century drawn from the Museum's permanent
collection. The exhibition explores not only the widespread presence of
violence in medieval society, but also shows how images of violence could
be used to influence medieval viewers through didactic lessons or by appealing
to the emotions.
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PUBLIC PROGRAMS AT THE GETTY
PERFORMANCES,
READINGS, AND EVENTS
Unless otherwise noted, events take place in the Harold M. Williams
Auditorium at the Getty Center. Advance reservations for parking and seating
are required; call 310-440-7300 (notice of cancellation is appreciated).
Seating is general admission and reservations for free events are honored
until 15 minutes before the performance time. Doors open 45 minutes before
the start of the program. Parking at the Getty Center is $5.
Friday Nights at the Getty - This free series of insight and imagination
features eclectic Los Angeles artists. The Museum's galleries are open on
Fridays until 9 p.m. Tickets may be reserved on a first-come, first-served
basis. Limit of four seats per reservation.
Vocal and fiddle-playing phenomenon Eliza Carthy, the
leading light in the UK's burgeoning neo-folk movement, performs songs
from her major label debut, Angels & Cigarettes. Produced by Community
Arts Resources. Friday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.
A rare opportunity to spend an evening with legendary composer, arranger,
and musician Van Dyke Parks along with guests Leland Sklar
on bass and Grant Geissman on guitar. Friday, March 23 at 7:30
p.m.
By The Hand Of The Father combines music by singer/songwriter/guitarist
Alejandro Escovedo with stories, poetry, and video to dramatize the unique
20th- century journey of the Mexican-American father. Produced by About
Productions, an award-winning theater company, this original work has
been described as "soulful" and "uplifting." It is directed by Theresa
Chavez and features musicians and actors including Rose Portillo, Kevin
Sifuentes, Alejandro Escovedo, and Quetzal Flores. Friday, March 30
at 7:30 p.m.
Sounds of L.A. 2001 - This free weekend concert series celebrates
the city's diverse musical culture.
Songs of Our Land: Tlen-Huicani and Macuilxochitl Perform
Sones Veracruzanos - Called the most faithful interpreters of traditional
folk music from Veracruz, master musicians Tlen-Huicani travel from Jalapa
to perform with local favorite Macuilxochitl in an afternoon of music
from Mexico and beyond. Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4 at 3
p.m.
Gordon Getty Concerts - Feature music complementing current Museum
exhibitions.
Highlights from the Canadian Centre for Architecture Chamber
Music Festival - These two concerts complement the Shaping the
Great City exhibition. Under the artistic direction of violist Neal
Gripp, a principal soloist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble
of gifted musicians performs arresting interpretations of modern Central
European composers. Tickets: $15, available through Tickets L.A. at 323-655-TKTS.
Program 1 - Soprano Karina Gauvin, guest artist, and an ensemble of strings
and piano present compositions by Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Erwin
Schulhoff, and Gideon Klein. Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m.
Program 2 - An ensemble of strings and piano presents compositions by
Leos Janacek, Zoltan Kodaly, Karol Szymanowski, and Andrzej Panufnik.
Sunday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m.
Harry Smith Concert - The Harry Smith Symposium (see "Getty Research
Institute Lectures/Conferences") concludes with a musical tribute to Smith's
groundbreaking 1952 recording, Anthology of American Folk Music,
the primary inspiration for the folk revival of the 1960s. Featured performers
include Robert Lockwood, Jr., Geoff Muldaur, and the Handsome Family (subject
to change)--representing three successive generations of artists influenced
by the Anthology. For tickets ($30; limited student tickets $25)
call Tickets L.A. at 323-655-TKTS. Saturday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.
Harry Smith Concert at UCLA - In conjunction with the Getty's Harry
Smith symposium and related events ( see "Getty Research Institute Lectures/Conferences"),
UCLA presents an all-star lineup of musicians in a radical reinterpretation
of Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, including Elvis Costello, Marianne
Faithfull, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and Mary Margaret O'Hara. Final lineup
to be announced. For tickets call 310-825-2101. Wednesday April 25 and
Thursday, April 26, 8 p.m., Royce Hall, UCLA
Two Concerts Celebrating the Spirit of the David Tudor Archives -
Rarely heard works by important musical mavericks and pioneers for pianos,
electronics, and performance "actions" are presented in newly created realizations
by performer/composers Vicki Ray and David Rosenboom, pianists, and Ron
Kuivila and Mark Trayle, electronics. Presented in conjunction with the
David Tudor symposium (see "Getty Research Institute Lectures/Conferences").
Program 1 - Action Piece 1, combining materials drawn
from Eight Piano Transcriptions for David Tudor and Incidental Music -
Five Piano Pieces by George Brecht, informed by various notes and correspondence
between Brecht and Tudor; Constants IVa and IVb by Terry Jennings; For
Two Pianos, I, II, and III by Michael von Biel; and Dialects by David
Tudor.
Friday, May 18, 7:30 p.m.
Program 2 - Untitled by David Tudor; A Book of Music, Two Prepared
Pianos by John Cage; Nature Pieces for Piano, I, II, III, IV, & V by Morton
Feldman, and Helix 5 [for variable sound producing means] by Jerry Hunt;
Action Piece 2, drawn from Piano Piece(s) for David Tudor Nos. 1, 2, &
3 by La Monte Young. Saturday, May 19, 7:30 p.m.
Readings
Poets Christopher Merrill and Tomaz Salamun read original
works. Presented by the Getty Research Institute in cooperation with the
Poetry Society of America, Los Angeles. Thursday, March 15, 8 p.m.,
Museum Lecture Hall
Espiral: Passages and Exposures - Join three premiere Chicana poets--
Gloria Alvarez, Consuelo Flores, and Linda Gamboa--as they share their
introspective work inspired by the Getty's permanent collection. Presented
as part of the Artist Series, designed to explore the collection from
the unique perspective of visual, literary, and performing artists.
Saturday, March 24, 3 p.m.
Poets Mark Doty, Richard Howard, Heather McHugh, and Carl Phillips
read original new works reflecting upon the Getty Research Institute's
current scholar year theme, "Reproductions and Originals." Friday,
April 27, 8 p.m.
Marylin Chin and Jeffrey McDaniel read original works. Presented
by the Getty Research Institute in cooperation with the Poetry Society
of America, Los Angeles.
Thursday, May 10, 8 p.m., Museum Lecture Hall
Looking Ahead:
Selected Shorts - Acclaimed actors of screen and stage read contemporary
and classic literature in Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short
Story, presented by New York's Symphony Space.
Friday, June 22 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 23 at 3 and 8 p.m.;
and Sunday, June 24 at 3 and 7 p.m.
Film Screenings
Harry Smith Film Screening - An evening of films by Harry
Smith, regarded as one of the leading experimental filmmakers of the 20th
century, is presented in conjunction with the Harry Smith symposium (
see "Getty Research Institute Lectures/Conferences.") Selections draw
from all aspects of his career: from the hand-painted Early Abstractions
to his Late Superimpositions, multilayered autobiographical images ranging
from New York to the Kiowa reservation in Oklahoma, and rare and unseen
works from the Harry Smith Archives.
Friday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.
Getty scholar
and filmmaker Péter Forgács screens a selection of his award-winning documentary
works.
Bartos Family: Father and Three Sons (1988)
This film draws on the home movie footage of Hungarian businessman and
popular composer Zoltan Bartos to present a personal view of Central-European
history from 1928-1965. Bartos' music is featured in the score. Running
time: 61 minutes.
Wednesday, March 28, 7 p.m.
Meanwhile Somewhere (1994)
An artful patchwork of home movie images from all over occupied Europe,
this poetic elegy tells the unknown private histories of World War II.
Composer Tibor Szemzo produced the mesmerizing musical score. Running
time: 52 minutes.
Wednesday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Angelos' Film (1999)
This work presents the private film journal of Greek businessman Angelos
Papanastassiou, who secretly captured on 16-mm film the Nazi atrocities
of the German-Italian occupation of Greece. Accompanied by the sensitive,
meditative music of Tibor Szemzö.
Wednesday, May 23, 7 p.m.
GALLERY
TALKS AND DEMONSTRATIONS
Point-of-View Gallery Talks - Unless otherwise noted, limited to
25 people per talk; sign up at the Museum Information Desk beginning at
4:30 p.m. Talks take place at 6 and 7:30 p.m. in the Museum galleries.
Urban planner James Riojas, who spent three years doing environmental
work in Budapest, talks about the exhibition Shaping the Great City.
Friday, March 9
Los Angeles artist Jody Zellen, who works with architecture, digital
art and space, talks about the exhibition Shaping the Great City.
Friday, April 6
Photographer and painter Jo Ann Callis talks about the exhibition
August Sander: German Portraits, 1918-1933. Friday, May 25
Artist-At-Work Demonstrations
Watch conservator/gilder Marisa Kuizenga demonstrate gilding techniques
used by French artisans in the 1700s. Drop in any time between 1 and 4
p.m. in the South Art Information Room.
Thursday, March 8 and Sunday, March 11
Sunday, April 8 and Thursday, April 12
Sunday, May 6 and Thursday, May 10
RESTAURANT EVENTS
Parisian High Tea - Celebrate Mother's Day with an exquisite Parisian
high tea at the Getty Restaurant. Tea will feature recipes from Alexandra
Leaf's cookbook The Impressionist Table; event follows a lecture
by Leaf on the French food culture of the 19th century (see "Getty Research
Institute Lectures/Conferences"). $25 per person, call 310-440-7300 for
reservations. Sunday, May 13, 4-6 p.m., Restaurant at the Getty Center
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Storytelling - Lively presentations of myths and legends related
to the collections. Meet in front of the Museum's Family Room. No reservations
needed.
English: Offered every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m.,
noon, and 1 p.m.
Spanish: (if requested): Saturday, March 3 and 17 at noon
Saturday, April 14 and 28 at noon
Saturday, May 12 and 26 at noon
Sign-language interpretation: (accompanying storytelling in English):
Sunday, March 11 and 25 at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 and 22, at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 and 20, at 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m.
Art Adventures for Families - This one-hour gallery talk for children
and adults to enjoy together includes an introduction to the Family Room
and a fun, activity-filled visit to the galleries. Meet in the Museum Entrance
Hall, under the stairs. No reservations needed. Every Saturday and Sunday
at 2 p.m.
Getty Family Festival - The Getty Museum hosts a day of celebration
featuring performances by local dance and musical groups, storytelling,
art-making workshops, and gallery activities. The festival is produced
for the Museum by Community Arts Resources. Admission is free. Saturday,
March 31, 10 a.m.Ð6 p.m.
Families visiting the Getty Center can enjoy a variety of regularly scheduled
activities, audioguide tours, and the Family Room, which features "Picture
Yourself," a playful view of portraits with game boxes and art kits to
use in the galleries, picture books, computers, and other resources to
make the most of your visit with children. Most family activities are
offered in English and Spanish.
GETTY MUSEUM SPANISH-LANGUAGE RESOURCES
The Museum offers a wide variety of services and programs in Spanish including
gallery talks, audioguide recorded tours, architecture tours, storytelling
and the Family Room resources. For further information, call 310-440-7300.
Back to table of contents
LECTURES,
CONFERENCES, AND SYMPOSIA
Unless otherwise noted, these events are open to the public and take
place in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty Center. Advance
reservations for parking and seating are required; call 310-440-7300 (notice
of cancellation is appreciated). The following events are free; parking
at the Getty Center is $5.
Museum Lectures
Scenes from the First Year of the Roman Republic - Lecture
by Erika Simon, professor emerita, Institute for Classical Archaeology
and Martin von Wagner Museum, Julius-Maximilians University, Würzburg.
Cosponsored by the Getty Museum Department of Antiquities and the Cotsen
Institute of Archaeology at UCLA.
Wednesday, March 14, 4 p.m.
The Emergence of the City-State of Naxos in the Aegean: A Case
Study - Lecture by Vassili Lambrinoudakis, department of archaeology,
University of Athens. Cosponsored by the Getty Museum Department of Antiquities
and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA.
Tues. Apr. 24, 4 p.m.
Portraits of Barbarians in Roman Art - Elizabeth Bartman, trustee
of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and independent scholar,
explores the depiction of barbarians in a series of high-quality Roman
portraits that raise fundamental questions about Roman identity and self-definition.
Cosponsored by the Getty Museum Department of Antiquities, the AIA, and
the Los Angeles County Society.
Thursday, May 3, 1 p.m., Museum Lecture Hall
Exhibition Lectures - These lectures are presented in conjunction
with exhibitions on view at the Getty Center.
August Sander: Faces of Weimar, 1918-1933 - Claudia Bohn-Spector,
independent curator and writer, explores the work of German photographer
August Sander who spent more than four decades attempting to create a
collective portrait of the German people. Presented in conjunction with
the exhibition August Sander: German Portraits 1918-1933.
Thursday, March 15, 7 p.m.
Marcia Hall, professor and graduate chair, Tyler School of Art, Temple
University, explores the meanings conveyed by color in Italian Renaissance
painting in conjunction with the exhibition Illuminating Color.
Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m.
Antiquities Series: Ancient Art, Material Culture and Identity -
This lecture series explores the interplay of art, material culture, and
social and cultural identity in the ancient classical world and the ways
art actively defines and transforms identity. Discussion will focus on the
role art, artifacts, and visual representations play in determining real
and imagined ancient identities.
Who Were The Greeks? - Jonathan Hall, associate professor,
departments of classics and history, University of Chicago, explores ethnic
identity and the self-definition of ancient Greeks. Thursday, March
8, 7 p.m.
Was Ganymede Really Gay? Sexual Identity, Gods and the Gaze of Heaven
in Greek Myth - James Davidson, department of classics and ancient
history, University of Warwick, investigates Greek myths and their interpretations.
Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m.
Kerameikos to Krazy Kat: The Development of Naturalism in Attic Vase-Painting
- Richard Neer, assistant professor of art history, University of Chicago,
examines the representation of "Greeks and Others" in Athenian vase-painting
and how identity was depicted in the Classical period.
Thursday, April 12, 7 p.m.
First Impression Series - This lecture series provides insight into
the Museum's Impressionist holdings, including paintings, drawings, and
a sketchbook.
Richard Kendall, independent scholar, explores the role of pastel
in Degas' work and the revival of pastel among his contemporaries.
Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Richard Brettell, professor, arts and humanities, University of Texas,
Dallas, will explore the theme of gesture and Impressionism.
Thursday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Mothers Day Event
Writer and culinary historian Alexandra Leaf lectures on the French food
culture of the 19th century with a focus on the world of cafes, picnics,
and restaurants and their significance to Impressionist and other 19-century
artists. Following the lecture is a Parisian high tea in the Restaurant,
featuring recipes inspired by Leaf's cookbook The Impressionist Table
(see "Restaurant Events").
Sunday, May 13, 3 p.m.
Carol Armstrong, Doris Stevens Professor in Womens Studies, Princeton
University, and author of the Getty publication A Degas Sketchbook, discusses
the function of drawing in the work of Impressionists Degas and Cézanne.
Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m.
Getty Research Institute Lectures/Conferences
Architectural Replications: Learning from Japan, India, and
Nepal - Niels Gutschow, chair, history of art, the University of Bristol,
UK and specialist in the preservation and reconstruction of Nepalese and
Japanese architecture, discusses Eastern and Western attitudes about architectural
imitation.
Thursday, March 22, 4 p.m., Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall
French Reproductive Engraving and the Metaphor of Translation -
Stephen Bann discusses relationships between salon painting, reproductive
engraving, and reproduction photography in 19th-century France.
Wednesday, May 30, 4 p.m., Getty Research Institute Lecture Hall
Art Matters Lecture Series - In this ongoing series of conversations
with artists, dealers, and others about the changing California arts scene,
Barbara Isenberg (author of the new book State of the Arts: California
Artists Talk About Their Work) interviews the pioneering feminist artist
Judy Chicago. (In cooperation with the Skirball Center.)
Tuesday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Media Pop Conference - This two-day national conference examines
the relationship between Pop Art and the media in the 1960s, including film,
photography, and video; features a keynote artists panel (see below) and
three scholar sessions. Hosted by the Getty Research Institute in collaboration
with the University of California, Irvine and Los Angeles. Registration
required; call 310-440-7300.
Friday, April 6, 1-3:45 p.m. and Saturday, April 7, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Museum
Lecture Hall
Media Pop Artists Panel - Vija Celmins, Dennis Hopper, and Ed Ruscha,
leading figures in the L.A. art world of the 1960s, take part in a keynote
panel discussion moderated by Cecile Whiting, professor of art history at
UCLA, in conjunction with the Media Pop conference. Note: This event requires
a separate reservation.
Friday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.
Harry Smith: The Avant Garde in the American Vernacular - This two-day
symposium, the first interdisciplinary event to focus on the work and legacy
of American avant-garde filmmaker, painter, and musicologist Harry Smith,
features lectures, discussions, and multimedia presentations. See concert
and film listings for details on related events. Hosted by the Getty Research
Insitute. Registration required; call 310-440-7300.
Friday, April 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The Art of David Tudor: Indeterminacy and Performance in Postwar Culture
- This symposium brings together an international group of scholars, composers,
artists, and art historians to examine the work of the pianist and composer
David Tudor (1926-1996), pioneer of American experimentalism. The collections
of the Getty Research Institute serve as a point of departure. Opening events
take place at CalArts on May 17 (see listing below); evening concerts take
place on May 18 and 19 at the Getty Center (see performance listings). Cosponsored
by the Research Institute and the California Institute of the Arts School
of Music.Advance registration required; call 310-440-7300.
Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Museum Lecture
Hall
David Tudor Symposium Opening Events at CalArts - Two special events
at CalArts celebrate the spirit and time of David Tudor: Rainforest IV,
a sound sculpture environment conceived by Tudor and realized by Composers
Inside Electronics, a group of CalArts performers and composers, and guest
artists; and a "Panel of David Tudor's Friends and Collaborators" (Billy
Kluver, Jackie Monnier, Gordon Mumma, Pauline Oliveros, Christian Wolff,
and moderator Jean Rigg). For more information call CalArts at 661-253-7800
or 818-362-2315, or visit the David Tudor Web site at www.citrustudio.com/davidtudor.
Thursday, May 17, 7-10:30 p.m. (performance) and 8-9:30 p.m. (panel),
CalArts
Getty Conservation Institute Lectures
Issues in Conservation - This series of public lectures examines conservation
issues from around the world.
Conservation of the Ancient Buddhist Cave Temples of Mogao,
China - Neville Agnew, principle project specialist at the Conservation
Institute, discusses the conservation challenges and fascinating history
of the Silk Road cave temples of Mogao, among the world's most important
sites of Buddhist art. The Conservation Institute has been working with
Chinese authorities since 1989 to conserve the site and its art.
Thursday, March 1, 7 p.m.
Rembrandt Revealed: Old Uncertainties, New Deductions - David Bomford,
senior restorer of paintings, National Gallery, London, discusses how
new technical examination of paintings by Rembrandt has revealed the extent
of the compositional changes he made as he worked.
Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m.
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NEWS
AROUND THE GETTY
CONSERVATION
Conservation at Mogao Grottoes, China
In April 2001, a four-week campaign for the Conservation Institute's wall
painting project at the Mogao grottoes will take place. Project work will
focus intensively on treatment of the cave paintings, particularly the
re-attachment by grouting of the painted surfaces. The Institute's China
Principles project will also move into its application phase at Mogao,
where further development of master planning for the site will occur with
the Dunhuang Academy staff at Mogao and the Australian Heritage Commission.
This will include the development of a detailed visitors strategy plan.
Workshop on Museum Buildings and Their Collections
As part of the Conservation Institute's Latin American Consortium project,
the Consortium will offer a workshop on environmental issues of museum
collections and their buildings, May 14-19, 2001 at the Centro de Conservação
e Restauração de Bens Culturais Móveis (CECOR), Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The workshop--for architects
and collection conservators who teach in architecture, conservation-restoration,
and/or museology programs--will examine current research, and practical
strategies addressing the environmental issues of collections and the
buildings that house them; highlight interdisciplinary strategies for
sustainable environmental conditions for collections and buildings; and
present educational resources that can be used in training programs. The
Consortium is composed of the Conservation Institute and academic institutions
and foundations involved in strengthening preventive conservation training
in Latin America.
Maya Initiative
In March at the 6th-century site of Joya de Cerén in El Salvador, the
Conservation Institute will continue working with government officials
and archaeologists to further develop a management plan for the site.
Activities will include the development of project policies, the assessment
of the site's condition, preliminary recommendations for conservation,
and coordination with the site presentation project. Also in March, at
the 9th-century Maya site of Copán in Honduras, the Institute will carry
out a second condition survey of the hieroglyphic stairway on the site.
A third field campaign in May 2001 will focus on the revision of collected
data, research on local building material, and treatment tests, and include
the final installation of the environmental monitoring station.
Sanctuario Scala Santa, Rome
A Getty grant of $170,000 is enabling a team of specialists to conduct
a comprehensive conservation survey of frescoes and other decorative elements
in the Pontificio Sanctuario Scala Santa in Rome. The Sanctuary, designed
in 1589 by the great urbanist and architect Domenico Fontana, houses the
Scala Santa (Holy Staircase) and the Sancta Sanctorum (the private Papal
chapel). The Scala Santa, which consists of 28 white marble steps, is
believed to be the staircase that Christ ascended to the praetorium of
Pontius Pilate; legend maintains that it was later brought to Rome from
Jerusalem by St. Helena (the mother of Constantine the Great) in the fourth
century. The decorations to be studied include extensive mural cycles
commissioned by Pope Sixtus V which represent the work of prominent Roman
artists Paul Bril, Giovanni Baglioni, and Cesare Nebbia. The comprehensive
conservation plan will inform and guide the future restoration of the
Sanctuary.
Moggerhanger House, England
A Getty architectural conservation grant of $250,000 will help conserve
the historic interiors of Moggerhanger House, a rare surviving example
of the highly original ideas and designs of architect and collector Sir
John Soane. Originally a modest country lodge, Moggerhanger House--altered
and extended by Soane between 1790 and 1826--illustrates the architect's
characteristic transformation of all aspects of a building into a work
of art. As in his other designs, such as the Bank of England and Dulwich
College, Soane employs simplified classical motifs and unusual spatial
arrangements at Moggerhanger. Although the estate was in poor repair and
slated for partial demolition in the early 1990s, the Moggerhanger House
Preservation Trust has since been established and has put the conservation
of the entire estate on firm footing.
Paintings Conservation Project
The paintings conservation department at the Getty Museum occasionally
undertakes the conservation of works from other collections in exchange
for the opportunity to exhibit the paintings at the Getty after completion
of the treatments. The most recent painting to come to Los Angeles as
part of this collaborative program is from the Hispanic Society in New
York. The poignant Virgin with the Yarn Winder by Luis de Morales
is a rare painting outside of Spain and considered to be one of his masterpieces.
The picture has been cleaned and restored, and was also the focus of analytical
studies supported by the scientific department at the Getty Conservation
Institute. In order to support the cost of bringing the painting to Los
Angeles, the Getty formed a partnership with Friends of Heritage Preservation,
which serves as a model for future collaborations. Virgin with the
Yarn Winder will be on public view from March through August, 2001.
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RESEARCH
College Art Association Getty Panel 2001 The Getty Research Institute
will present a panel discussion at the annual College Art Association
meeting in Chicago on Thursday, March 1, 2001, related to the Institute's
scholar year theme Reproductions and Originals. Institute Director
Thomas Crow and Getty scholars in residence will participate.
Architectural Imitations is a research collaboration between the
Getty and the Research Institute for History and Culture at the University
of Utrecht. Two small symposia of 10 participants each will explore the
changing attitudes towards architectural reconstructions and imitations
in Europe between 1750 and 2000 and the differences from the rest of the
world. The first symposium will take place at the Getty Research Institute
March 22-24, 2001. A second symposium will be held in Utrecht in fall
2001. This project is based upon the scholar year theme Reproductions
and Originals.
Vatican Topography Project - An interdisciplinary team at Harvard
University is using digital models and a multimedia database to reconstruct
the history of modifications to the Vatican Hill area over its 2000-year
history and make this information available to scholars. A Getty grant
of $250,000 will support the completion of research by professors and
students in Harvard's Graduate School of Design. The resulting reference
work will serve as an invaluable research and teaching tool for professionals
in the architectural and design professions, as well as for scholars of
art history, architectural history, landscape architecture, urban design,
and topography.
Dissertation Workshop - Unstable Strategies II: Writing the History
of Art Now - The Getty Research Institute will present the second
in an ongoing series of workshops for doctoral candidates from California
on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, 2001, examining how their
dissertations deal with methodological and theoretical issues in visual
studies.
Originality of Translation Workshop - Noted translators and theorists
of translation, including Richard Howard and Michael Heim, will discuss
the tension between originality and reproduction in translation on Thursday,
April 26, 2001, at the Getty Research Institute.
Art History and Identity - Twelve noted scholars--including participants
in the scholars programs of the Getty Research Institute and the Clark
Art Institute--will deliver position papers on the role identity has come
to play in the history, theory, and practice of art history today from
Thursday, May 31 to Saturday, June 2, 2001, at the Getty Research Institute.
Getty Research Library's Expanded Service Hours - The Getty Research
Library is open to its readers on all Fridays and Saturdays. Reference
and circulation services are available Monday through Saturday from 9
a.m. to 6 p.m. The Special Collections Reading Room has expanded its hours
to Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
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EDUCATION/SCHOLARSHIP
Getty Leadership Institute: On May 30 and June 1, 2001, the Getty
Leadership Institute (GLI) and the Association of Art Museum Directors
(AAMD) will cosponsor a two-day seminar on strategy and finance for the
AAMD membership, to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The seminar will
be taught by Jeanne Liedtka and Kent Chabotar, faculty members from the
MMI program--the GLI's annual summer institute in Berkeley, California,
where museum directors and senior executives explore the latest leadership
and management theories and practices.
Latin American Art Catalogue - The University of Texas' Jack S.
Blanton Museum of Art was awarded a Getty grant to prepare a catalogue
of the Museum's collection of Latin American art. The Blanton Museum contains
one of the most comprehensive collections of 20th-century Latin American
art in the United States with more than 1,600 works by 500 artists, representing
many of the most significant artists and movements to emerge in Mexico,
South and Central America, and the Caribbean during the last century.
While many important exhibition catalogues of Latin American art are widely
available, the Blanton Museum catalogue will be the first of its size
and scope. It will include introductory essays on the history and context
of the collection and its value as a teaching resource, as well as interpretative
essays on specific aspects of the collection, written primarily by Latin
American scholars.
Ghetto Fighters' Museum Catalogue - The Beit Lohamei Haghetaot,
or Ghetto Fighters' Museum, is located in Western Galilee, Israel, and
recently received Getty funds to catalogue its art collection. The largest
known collection of its kind, it includes art works created by both Jews
and non-Jews living in the ghettos, in hiding, and in concentration camps
during the Holocaust, as well as works created by Holocaust survivors.
The grant will allow the Museum to develop in-depth cataloguing information
on the key works in the collection, biographies of the artists, and historical
information on the camps and ghettos in which the works were created.
The catalogue will include both English and Hebrew translations; publication
is planned for 2002.
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GETTY
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Getty is currently seeking new volunteers to assist visitors to the
Getty Center, including the Getty Museum. Volunteers take part in a variety
of activities, including greeting visitors, answering questions, assisting
with special events and projects, and helping with office work throughout
the Getty. Ages 18 and up are welcome. Fluency in more than one language
is helpful. No previous arts experience is necessary. Ongoing training
is provided. Three-hour weekday, weekend, and evening shifts are available.
To receive a volunteer application, call the Volunteer Hotline at 310-440-7303.
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GETTY
IN PRINT
Publications can be ordered through the Getty Trust Publications Online
catalog at www.getty.edu/bookstore
or by telephone at 800-223-3431. For review copies, contact Getty Trust
Publications at 310-440-6795.
Figured in Marble
The Making and Viewing of Eighteenth-Century Sculpture
Malcolm Baker
An in-depth look at 18th-century marble sculpture, this volume effectively
situates sculpture in the narrative of British art.
J. Paul Getty Museum. $80.00 cloth.
For Children:
Orpheus and Eurydice
Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt
Illustrated by Iassen Ghiuselev
Translated by Pauline Hejl
The tragic tale of Orpheus, his gift for music, and his undying love for
the oak nymph Eurydice, retold in an engaging picture book. Ages ten and
up.
J. Paul Getty Museum. $16.95 cloth.
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# # #
About the Getty:
The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that features
the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Research Institute.
The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations: the Getty Center in Los Angeles and
the Getty Villa in Malibu.
Sign up for e-Getty at www.getty.edu/subscribe to receive free monthly highlights of events at the Getty Center and the
Getty Villa via e-mail, or visit our event calendar for a complete calendar of public programs.
The J. Paul Getty Museum collects in seven distinct areas, including Greek and Roman antiquities, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts, and European and American photographs. The Museum's mission is to make the collection meaningful and attractive to a broad audience by presenting and interpreting the works of art through educational programs, special exhibitions, publications, conservation, and research.
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